


Lavender

by pixiedurango



Series: Richard Armitage - Sensual Visual Prompts [7]
Category: North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell | UK TV, Richard Armitage - Fandom, john Thornton - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arranged Marriage, F/M, Falling In Love, Grief/Mourning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-29
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-09-29 21:36:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17211386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pixiedurango/pseuds/pixiedurango
Summary: In this AU John never gets to marry Margaret Hale but agrees into an arranged marriage to a London girl called Lavender Cunningham. Being very distant and remaining to live in grief and brooding it takes some time (and some true talk with Higgins) before John eventually starts to see. Truly see.





	Lavender

**Author's Note:**

> This belongs to a collection of prompts I opened up for my followers on tumblr to choose a character portrayed by Richard Armitage and a collection of sensual/sexy gifs I put together merely for this purpose.  
> After the tumblr purge many of the stories got banned/deleted/hidden which I assume due to the nature of the gifs since the stories itself are rarely really explicit.  
> This is why I eventually decided to transfer my works to my Ao3 which I didn't do for the sheer number of Fandoms/Shows/Characters those stories belong to. My admiration for Richard Armitage let me write all those stories and I hope people will like it.  
> The gifs will be posted along with the stories so readers might decide whether I caught the spirit or not.

  


John Thornton had never been considered being a merry man. The burden of responsibility on him too early in his life and ever since struggling thanks to his stubbornness and his unique talent to make all things not belonging to business matters more awkward and complicated than necessary.

Years of yearning for a woman who would not want to hear him and finally seeing her marry another had not been helpful to make him love life and neither was the fact that the mill was not running well.

In fact, John Thornton saw his entire life running down the drain day by day and though he wanted to fight for what he considered his legacy he felt himself running out of options.

The day his mother approached him with the way out of their misery he stared at her with dead blue eyes and only shrugged.  
“I’m certain you thought that through carefully. So if you see that fit, mother, for the sake of Marlborough Mill, make the arrangements, I don’t care, really.” 

Hannah Thornton knew what she was asking of her son but nevertheless she carried on with her plan. For the sake of the mill and all the hardships they had to endure to build and hold it for so long. She would not simply see it go down and knowing John wouldn’t either she had reached out to spin her own webs of rescue.   
And here they were and her son had not been a disappointment by knowing what his duty was.

Once she had his voiced agreement, all the arrangements were made rather quickly and before autumn fell there was an engagement assigned and made public that John Thornton would marry within a year’s time.

No one in Milton knew the bride to be and her family but word went she was as wealthy as she was beautiful. Last offspring from a well known London family who had run their own business for generations but recently deceased in a fire. All but the daughter. Here the news already ran thin and from a lack of information people continued with idle gossip made up with the little they knew because that’s what people always did.

The local beauties, always in vain hope to be chosen by the city’s most desired bachelor wondered why it was not them he had laid eyes upon but have wandered off to London and only few of them understood the circumstances their fathers and brothers discussed behind closed doors regarding the poor financial state of Marlborough Mill.

John Thornton was numb. Even more when he was introduced to his future wife. There was nothing about her he could find remarkable. Or lovable. Yes, Miss Lavender Cunningham was a beauty. Very quiet and shy as they met, nevertheless trying to make pleasant conversation which would have shown him she was educated and owned some wit if he’d only have cared to pay attention. 

He did not bother how her shoulders dropped and eyes filled with concern when he was excusing himself regularly with work or other duties and left early without a second look or a proper greeting every time the lady and her guardian shared tea times and dinners with the Thorntons .

But things were settled and so wedding bells rang for John and Lavender even before Christmas and she was a beautiful winter bride when she arrived with her belongings to Milton and moved into the Thornton’s home inside Marlborough Mill.

Hannah knew about the hardships arranged marriages could bring and hoped over time they would find a way with each other. She was not only a hard woman but also a wise one and so she let her son and her daughter in law be without interfering.

Lavender dreaded this cold and joyless place. And she dreaded her husband who was just alike.   
But she was a kind and patient spirit and no hate and anger had place in her heart. Accepting to become Mrs. Thornton and move to Milton had been her decision and she had done it in full consciousness about that this was by no means a love marriage.   
But she had never estimated her new home being such a hard place to live in.

John was working harder than ever. Using the money his wife had brought into the Thorton family had turned tides and no matter his feelings elsewise, his honor demanded to use what he had been given with this bargain wisely and responsible.  
Coming home was a steady reminder of  _how_  this opportunity was given to him and guilt was eating him alive that he only took but was not giving anything back the way he was supposed to as a God fearing Christian husband.   
Barely being able to speak with the stranger who was his wife and avoiding everything that could bring her closer to his heart.   
A heart filled with pain of a long lost love he could not let go of.

Seasons came and went and their life remained the same. By next fall people were already talking. About the lack of a Thornton heir. Hannah was not dumb, she knew her son and his wife rarely spoke to each other. It was most unlikely there were other things happening.

Talking to her son seemed pointless and she very well knew her daughter in law did everything to be a pleasant view and company to John. All Hannah Thornton could do, was remaining silent and keep on waiting, hoping that finally the ice would melt.

~   ~   ~

“Master Thornton.” Higgins tipped his cap while greeting his boss as he passed him by in the yards. “Things go well, I dare say. Thank you for taking me and so many others back in.”

John came to a halt and nodded. “You are welcome, Higgins. I value all your will to come back and take this place to its old glory. Not shying away from the hard work that it takes to start over and come back to where we were.”

Higgins shrugged. “We just resemble what we see. How you and your wife are contributing just as much.” His keen eyes recognized in a sudden the puzzlement in his master’s frown. Realizing that probably there were a few things that slipped from Thornton’s recognition and he slightly nodded towards the worker’s mess hall.

John nodded back and headed there immediately. Higgins’ daughter was cooking and serving here and from his own regular meals he knew the food he provided his workers with was decent and filling. He never had wondered how the young girl managed to get all the work done on her own.   
He remained at the window and peeked inside and what he saw let immediately well up his well buried guilt again. Over how poorly he had treated his wife from the day he had met her. How he had ignored her and her will to blend in. To become part of his life, his family. And his work. 

Under his nose she must have found herself a way to make herself busy and needed. John felt ashamed as he saw her carry around the huge cauldron to prepare it for the daily stew. Laughing and joking and he realized how…  _alive_  she was. He never realized that before. How much her eyes were sparkling and how much her smile lit up even the darkest of rooms.

He could not help, but step into the mess hall.  
“Lavender.” He was barely able to speak as he felt he truly  _saw_  his wife for the very first time.

She stopped midmotion and grabbed for a linen, stuffed in her belt to dry her hands.   
“John.” Voice barely loud enough to be heard across the room. “I apologize. I didn’t…”

He cut her but his dark baritone voice was as soft as his eyes were. “You never apologize for honest work, Lavender.” His nod was barely recognizable but his eyes never left hers. “We speak later.”   
And without waiting for her reply he turned on his heels and walked away to carry on with his day. But his concentration was gone and he caught himself thinking about what else might have slipped from his attention over the past year.

Dinner came and went without any visible difference to all the dinners at the Thornton home for the last months but Hannah’s senses were keen and she recognized some subtle swing in the general mood around the table. Some of the awkward tension was gone and though the both of them did not talk at all she would have sworn that something had changed. 

But she would not pry and when the couple retreated early into their chambers, Hannah Thornton did not show a single emotion. No matter how much she wanted to smile.

~   ~   ~

They had not been in a room alone together since the awkward hours that had been supposed to be their wedding night. Silently sitting in opposite corners of his bed chamber without anything happening.   
“I won’t force myself on you as we both know it’s a business matter that brought us together.” Had been his only explanation and she had swallowed down any answer and just nodded as a sign that she willingly obeyed to his point of view which he had never changed along the way until the present day.

“You tried to apologize earlier today and I told you there was no need.” He finally began, after filling two chalices with red wine and handing one over. “And I stand with that. But it does not free  _me_  from apologizing instead. For neglecting you and not giving you any kind of welcome to your new family.” John hung his head and she could see he was slightly blushing as his ear tips turned a little red. “I was not raised this way and for this matter I came to realize that I owe you my apologies.”

“And this only occurred to you when you saw me doing a kitchen maid’s work earlier today?” Lavender’s voice was quiet and only the faintest hint of a smile brightened up her kind face and he could not help but return the shyest of grins.

“It does not matter what nature your commitment to Marlborough Mill has turned out to be. Point is, you cared enough to  _do_  something. Not to catch my eye or make an impression. Letting me know somehow you were taking up work. You just saw there was help needed and you helped.” He tried to explain, while slowly stepping closer. “Which finally made an impression. And all the difference.”

Their glasses chinked quietly over the first time they actually shared a conversation and time together.

“I understand, John.” She took a careful sip. “But where does this leave us?”

He went over to the bed and invited her to sit next to him by patting softly on the space next to him.   
Reluctantly and still with some respectable distance between them she did as he had asked her for.

“Be assured, Lavender, I will not rush matters in any way. And I need your confirmation that you welcome my…  _courting_.”   
He was staring down onto the carpet, not able to look at her the way he should have. This way he didn’t realize she was reaching out for his hand and almost flinched when he suddenly felt the touch. But he managed to hold still since this gesture was welcome after all and he did not want to destroy that fragile little seedling that was their newly found possible way to each other. 

“Look, John Thornton.” She was a quiet woman but no one should ever mistake her for not having opinions. Or goals. “I know my position to be married was more of being a  _good_  that comes with my heritage. I accepted it to come into this family where my money was more needed and wanted than I was. For that I knew and accepted my place. But never take my silence for the lack of thoughts of my own. Or desires, if you allow this scandalous word in your chambers.”

“ _Desires_?” His eyes rose slowly until he met hers. Realizing for the first time that they were grey like the winter skies. And just as stormy. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”   
  
For the first time tonight her smile broke free. The one he had already seen earlier today which made her face glow and he wondered whether she knew what effect this smile had. At least on him.

“You asked whether I would mind you properly courting me, John.” She quietly explained. “Have my permission for that, since it is a lovely thought, but remember that we are already wedded husband and wife and I won’t object if you want to carry that…  _courting_  any further over time.”

When he finally understood, he felt the blush ascending from his neck up to his cheeks once more but he called himself to order. She was right. And she was kind enough to not hold his failure against him.   
Dwelling in his self chosen abyss of rejected feelings for far too long instead of taking up the responsibility for his private life as he was capable of every business matter.   
And again guilt washed over him and before he could think of he was kneeling in front of her as she was still sitting on his bed and his head came to rest in her lap, not being able to resist the urge to kiss her thighs. Even with her skirt on and probably countless underskirts and petticoats on this was an unthinkable bold approach, no matter whether she was his wife or not. 

“I’m sorry Lavender. So deeply sorry. I had no idea. And even if I had, I was too…  _far away_  to pay any attention. I swear to become better. If you let me.”

Her fingers finding his dark hair, idly trailing through it in a soothing gesture. Everything was happening like a whirlwind around her and she feared she would wake up any second, alone in her own chamber as always so she barely dared to blink.   
But it was real. All her dreams of the past year suddenly seemed to become reality and she was careful to not spoil it. Falling in love with the dark brooding John Thornton had been the sweetest torment of all her life and Lavender just wanted to hold onto it now that finally the dream seemed to become reality.   
  
“I’m yours, John. If you want me.” She ensured him and felt how he relaxed, his head still resting in her lap. “We have all the time need.”

He came back to sit when he heard her words and finally his eyes went soft as he smiled while one of his hands gently caressed her cheek.  
“No we haven’t. We already wasted too much of it.” He objected and leaned over for a first kiss.

Feeling how she melted into his kiss he suddenly felt bold enough to offer her to stay and defying every rule they had grown up with. She was giggling and blushing but they finally agreed and settled to ignore common rules together, getting undressed with each other present and not locked away in their private rooms.   
He dared to be unconventional, feeling almost revolutionary maybe for the first time in his life and it made him smile. Why had he been blind for so long?  


End file.
